‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’: 1 Really Amazing Spinoff Movie Idea

Although the critical reviews of Solo: A Star Wars Story have been good, the opening weekend was a bit of a monetary disappointment for Disney. There could be plenty of blame to go around here, including the relative dissatisfaction fans had with Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The fact that Disney scheduled Solo to come out just months after The Last Jedi likely didn’t help, creating what some are calling “Star Wars fatigue.”

Even still, audiences are enjoying Solo. And despite the fact that Lucasfilm has a whole lot of Star Wars movies left on the docket, they’re still planning more anthology films. Let’s take a look at the recent rumors about upcoming movies, including one spinoff that Solo may have been teasing (page 5). Some spoilers for Solo ahead!

Rumors of a sequel

There are already rumors of a sequel. | Lucasfilm

Even before Solo reached theaters, there were rumors that Lucasfilm may be thinking about making a sequel. The way things were left in the movie leaves it open for another movie, with Han and Chewie getting away in the Millennium Falcon and heading toward Tatooine. This would lead us to the pair working as smugglers for Jabba the Hutt, which opens up all kinds of possibilities.

Actor Alden Ehrenreich even confirmed that he is contracted to do more than one movie, but that’s not all that uncommon. Even Felicity Jones of Rogue One: A Star Wars had a clause in her contract for a sequel — and her character died.

Next: Another Solo character may get a movie

A Lando movie?

Fans are dying for a Lando film. | Lucasfilm

From the beginning, fans weren’t so keen on the idea of a movie based on Han Solo. How could any actor take over the iconic role, it was thought, and give a performance reminiscent of a young Harrison Ford? As it turns out, Ehrenreich wasn’t able to pull it off. But one character that was absolutely dynamite was Lando Calrissian, expertly played by Donald Glover.

Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm, even went on record to say that Lando would be the next character to get a movie. But that was a quote she later backtracked, saying that there was a miscommunication. At any rate, it feels likely that Glover may be playing Lando on the big screen again soon.

Next: The latest movie rumors

More Boba Fett rumors

A Boba Fett movie is rumored to be in the works. | Lucasfilm

Much like with the Han Solo movie when it was first announced, there isn’t exactly unified agreement on whether Star Wars fans want a movie about Boba Fett. Given the lackluster box office numbers for Solo despite the quality reviews, you would think that Lucasfilm would be a bit sensitive to that fact. Even still, it appears that they’re ready to move forward on the long-rumored bounty hunter movie.

It was rumored that Simon Kinberg, the writer-producer behind the X-Men franchise and films such as The Martian, was working on a Boba Fett movie. While Lucasfilm and Disney won’t make any official confirmation, sources say that Mangold will co-write the script with Kinberg, who will also produce the Boba Fett project. Kinberg and Mangold are close, having worked on Logan, the X-Men spinoff that earned high praise last year.

Next: Another popular anthology rumor

An Obi-Wan movie?

Will an Obi-Wan Kenobi film be next? | Lucasfilm

Another film that has been rumored for the last few years is an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie based in the 20-year period while the character is in isolation on Tatooine. Originally, the three anthology films rumored to be first on the list were Rogue One, Solo, and the Boba Fett movie. Only after hearing the voices of the fans have rumors of a Kenobi movie popped up, even if Disney and Lucasfilm have been hesitant to confirm them.

Actor Ewan McGregor has said that he’s on board for a movie, if he were to be asked. Rumors have pegged Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliott) as the director, and although there are no writers on board that we know of, some have suggested that George Lucas himself may be involved. Given that McGregor’s Kenobi was one of the few agreed upon good performances from the prequel trilogy, this is one that has many fans excited.

Next: The best Solo spinoff idea

The best spinoff idea

Could that cameo lead to his own movie? | Disney XD

The absolute best spinoff idea from Solo comes from the big cameo at the very end of the movie. The huge reveal of the true villain behind the crime syndicate Crimson Dawn is that it’s Darth Maul, the former Sith Lord and apprentice to Darth Sidious. Lucasfilm has remained tight-lipped on the cameo and how he may play a role in future movies, but some have suggested that Maul may be the villain of a Solo sequel.

There are issues with that, however. It’s impossible to imagine a sequel featuring Maul as the villain and not putting the protagonist and antagonist together in a room, but it’s just as impossible to envision Han surviving such a confrontation. Why not just do a stand-alone movie about Maul, Crimson Dawn, and Qi’ra?

Next: How that all could work

But … how?

There plenty of stories to explore around Darth Maul | Disney XD

Many movie-goers and casual Star Wars fans have been wondering how, exactly, Maul was able to make that appearance in Solo. After all, the last we saw of the character on the big screen, a young Obi-Wan Kenobi had sliced him in half and watched as Maul fell down a shaft on Naboo. But in Star Wars reality, Maul actually survived his injury and went on to have several key plot points on TV shows Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels.

One major point of Clone Wars was showing Maul rising up in the criminal underworld, heading up the Shadow Collective. Now, it appears that he is the man in charge of Crimson Dawn. A spinoff movie detailing his criminal dealings could be a whole lot of fun, and it could even feature fellow crime lords like Jabba the Hutt and Prince Xizor of the Black Sun.

Next: Or, another idea

One last Solo spinoff

Could these two characters get their own spinoff? | Lucasfilm

Even if Lucasfilm decides to pass on the aforementioned movie ideas — and indications are that at least some of them will be made — there is one more spinoff movie from Solo that might attract an audience. Fans are in agreement that Tobias Beckett is a fairly interesting character, and Thandie Newton’s Val was criminally underused in the film. Bringing back actor Woody Harrelson and Newton to do another heist movie could be a lot of fun.

Think of it as a Star Wars version of Oceans 11. More fun cameos from familiar characters could be had, and given the timeline it could involve some of the underutilized prequel characters. Maybe Boba Fett helps on a job? The possibilities are endless.